Botswana-Closure of beef abattoir causes meat shortage.

Closure of S/Phikwe abattoir disrupts meat supply

SELEBI-PHIKWE: A decision by the Ministry of Agriculture to close the Selebi-Phikwe Town Council abattoir has disrupted meat supplies in the mining town.

The abattoir was closed on Monday after the closure of other similar facilities in nearby Bobonong and Mmadinare.

The Selebi-Phikwe region, which falls under Zone 7, is expected to face severe meat shortages over the next three weeks as restrictions on the movement of meat products remain in force.

SPTC Public Relations Officer, Ogomoditse Gaokethelwe, said the abattoir would be closed until March 28. The last date for receiving animals for slaughter was March 5.

"The closure is due to maintenance work to be undertaken in order to meet the required hygienic standards as per the Livestock and Meat Industries Act of 2007," Gaokethelwe said.

She said the exercise was important because if the local authority does not comply, it will not be granted a licence. The Ministry of Agriculture issued the council with a temporary permit pending compliance with the new hygiene requirements.

"The council would like to urge everyone who will be affected by the temporary closure to please bear with us and cooperate since the closure could not be avoided," Gaokethelwe added.

The Ministry of Agriculture had threatened to close the abattoir if the council failed to comply with the requirements of the new Act.

During a recent full council meeting, Dr Kerapetse Sehularo of the Division of Meat Hygiene and Quality Control in the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) warned that the local abattoir faced closure if it did not address its shortcomings.

He said council abattoirs were given one-year temporary permits, to afford the local authorities time to comply with the law when it came into effect.

Sehularo said Selebi-Phikwe was given three months’ extension after the expiry of the one-year temporary permit when it failed to meet requirements.

"Selebi-Phikwe has not done enough to address its shortcomings," Sehularo told the council. "It will be unfortunate to close down the abattoir as it will disrupt meat supplies, but we cannot compromise the safety of consumers for the benefit of economics."

Councillors had promised DVS that the abattoir would not be closed because the council had set aside funds to refurbish the facility.

The move to close the abattoir has attracted criticism from farmers and butchery owners who argue that the council did not give them sufficient notice. The meat industry in Zone 7 has continued to stagnate as a result of restrictions owing to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and new government regulations banning the braaiing of meat on butchery premises.

This has seen demand for the product dwindle, forcing small-scale businesses to close shop. Jean Van Riet of Sandy’s Butchery rapped the council for failing to inform butcheries and farmers in time.

He said the council only notified butcheries and farmers five days before the closure and that this was insufficient for farmers to build their stock.

"We don’t have a problem with the closure, but they should have informed us early enough so that we plan ahead," Van Riet said.

He said the decision to close the abattoir comes at a time when meat sales have slumped because of the recession and the availability of other sources of relish, including phane and vegetables.

A butchery owner at ’The Stands’, who preferred anonymity, blamed the council for its failure to comply despite being issued with the initial one-year temporary licence.

"The council knew about the impending closure if they did not comply," he said.

"Someone has to explain why the shortcomings identified by the Veterinary department were not addressed. Someone is sleeping on his job."

He argued that the five days’ notice given prior to the abattoir’s closure was insufficient and that their meat supplies had dwindled.

Farmers who were already reeling from a sharp drop in cattle sales say the move will exacerbate their problems.

"We have been struggling to get buyers as butcheries say meat consumption has gone down," said Gaolekwe Tema, a Mmadinare farmer. "With the closure of abattoirs in the region now, it is going to be even tougher."

Most butcheries had already run out of supplies on Tuesday as Selebi-Phikwe residents braced themselves for going without meat.